Rachel Podger Rachel Podger is one of the most creative talents to emerge in the field of period performance. Over the last two decades she has established herself as a leading interpreter of the music of the Baroque and Classical periods...

The necessity of travel If a devotee of music somewhere between 1765 and 1780, happened to be doing his best to catch a glimpse of ‘wunderkind’ Mozart at work in his hometown of Salzburg, then he it is likely that he would have knocked in vain at the door of the Archepiscopal Palace. The young composer was probably on the road again. He had been employed (but without pay!) since the age of nine as violinist in the Archbishop’s court orchestra where father Mozart also played; but Mozart spent half of his time travelling, usually accompanied by his father. Leopold Mozart was a man with a mission. He was convinced that the birth of his exceptional son was a miracle that had descended on him, and he saw it as his holy duty to introduce Wolfgang to the world. He pursued this aim with diligence. Right up to the painful moment in 1781 when Mozart moved to Vienna and set up as an independent creative artist, father Leopold remained his impresario, concert manager, and the driving force behind Mozart’s career. For years on end, Mozart travelled constantly throughout Europe, from Pressburg (Bratislava) to Paris, from Naples to London. And Leopold arranged performances for the imperial family in Vienna, the Kings of France and England, and in the palaces of the religious and secular nobility of Europe. Mozart visited France on three occasions. During the great European tour as a little boy of seven and eight, when he visited Paris with his family, he was idolized. Every nobleman’s palace right up to the King of France, opened its doors to him. But when he returned in 1778 with his mother, it was a very different story. Mozart went to France with dreams of settling in Paris as an opera composer. His old friend Gluck and the Italian composer Piccinni ruled the roost, but they stood at the heads of two warring musical factions. And friendly Baron Grimm, “to whom”, according to Leopold in 1764, “we owe everything”, was by no means as forthcoming as he had been fourteen years ago. A 22-year-old Mozart was now only one among the many talented newcomers streaming into Paris. He was no longer the amazing six-year old curiosity, full of musical tricks and spectacular surprises, who had enthralled an audience eager for something new. No; this time Mozart did not really feel welcome in Paris. To make things even worse, Wolfgang’s mother died in Paris on 3 July 1778. In a most moving letter, Mozart informed his father of her death: “Mon très cher Père...”. The family member to whom he felt closest was gone. She had been a sweet-natured woman, with an inherent joie de vivre and a sense of humour that kept everything on an even keel: fortunately she passed both characteristics on to her son.......

Quotes:

De spitse wisselwerking tussen de beide solisten verhoogt het muzikale genot nog eens aanzienlijk. De opname laat niets te wensen over. Kortom, een bijzonder geslaagde uitgave, duidelijk op weg naar de afronding van een van de twee beste historiserende uitvoeringen van alle vioolsonates van Mozart. www.opusklassiek.nl The keyboard player gets top billing on this outstanding series of Mozart's violin sonatas, and rightly so: in the earliest of the works recorded here, K31 in B flat, the violin part is optional, and even in his later works for this particular pairing of instruments, the piano is the dominant partner. (…) No other team can match Cooper and Podger for their brio, stylishness and sense of discovery in this marvellous music. The Sunday Times/Classical CD of the Week

There was a time when this music was played with a Dresden-china air of delicate sophistication, with musical little fingers raised in the air. How bracing then to find violinist Rachel Podger and fellow Brit Gary Cooper on this fifth volume in their Mozart series throwing caution to the wind with a crockery shattering playfulness and exuberance. The formalised lines of the early B flat Sonata No.16 are gently teased and cajoled throughout the work, while the delightful and enchanting theme and variations that crowns the A major Sonata No.22 ducks and dives convention with gleeful yet exemplarary style. An outstanding disc, impeccably engineered. Classic FM Magazine

Volume five of the complete Mozart piano-violin sonatas, and neither musician seems remotely bored. Podger's violin inflections remain delightfully lively and keenly felt, and Cooper's fortepiano has dancing feet. The upfront recording only increases the sense of two players joined at the hip. The programme mixes early and late; the masterpiece is K305, but hats off too to the exuberance of K31, written when Mozart was 10. The Times

Volume 5 of the complete Mozart piano-violin sonatas, and neither musician seems remotely bored. Podger's violin inflections remain delightfully and keenly felt, and Cooper's fortepiano has dancing feet. The upfront recording only increases the sense of two players joined at the hip. The programme mixes early and late; the masterpiece is K305, but hats of too the exuberance of K31, written when Mozart was 10. Times ****

(…) As always in this estimable series repeats are observed, the playing exhibits a discernible sense of line, and Cooper's sonorous forte-piano is nicely complemented by Podger's clean but never acerbic-sounding period violin. Again the performance is vigorous and stylistically on the ball. Gramophone Rachel Podger and Gary Cooper give characteristically intelligent and insightful performances of all these pieces (…) BBC Music Magazine (sound *****, performance ****) (…)

For me, the outstanding success on this volume is the sonata in A, K 305. Usually recorded as part of the so-called Op. 1 Sonatas published in Paris in 1778, this Sonata is usually overshadowed by the stronger personalities of K301, K 304 and K 306. Heard here as the opening work in a mixed recital, and thanks to Podger's and Cooper's relaxed, fluid style and use of embellishment that grows organically from the music, it seems to soar to new heights. International Record Review

The necessity of travel If a devotee of music somewhere between 1765 and 1780, happened to be doing his best to catch a glimpse of ‘wunderkind’ Mozart at work in his hometown of Salzburg, then he it is likely that he would have knocked in vain at the door of the Archepiscopal Palace. The young composer was probably on the road again. He had been employed (but without pay!) since the age of nine as violinist in the Archbishop’s court orchestra where father Mozart also played; but Mozart spent half of his time travelling, usually accompanied by his father. Leopold Mozart was a man with a mission. He was convinced that the birth of his exceptional son was a miracle that had descended on him, and he saw it as his holy duty to introduce Wolfgang to the world. He pursued this aim with diligence. Right up to the painful moment in 1781 when Mozart moved to Vienna and set up as an independent creative artist, father Leopold remained his impresario, concert manager, and the driving force behind Mozart’s career. For years on end, Mozart travelled constantly throughout Europe, from Pressburg (Bratislava) to Paris, from Naples to London. And Leopold arranged performances for the imperial family in Vienna, the Kings of France and England, and in the palaces of the religious and secular nobility of Europe. Mozart visited France on three occasions. During the great European tour as a little boy of seven and eight, when he visited Paris with his family, he was idolized. Every nobleman’s palace right up to the King of France, opened its doors to him. But when he returned in 1778 with his mother, it was a very different story. Mozart went to France with dreams of settling in Paris as an opera composer. His old friend Gluck and the Italian composer Piccinni ruled the roost, but they stood at the heads of two warring musical factions. And friendly Baron Grimm, “to whom”, according to Leopold in 1764, “we owe everything”, was by no means as forthcoming as he had been fourteen years ago. A 22-year-old Mozart was now only one among the many talented newcomers streaming into Paris. He was no longer the amazing six-year old curiosity, full of musical tricks and spectacular surprises, who had enthralled an audience eager for something new. No; this time Mozart did not really feel welcome in Paris. To make things even worse, Wolfgang’s mother died in Paris on 3 July 1778. In a most moving letter, Mozart informed his father of her death: “Mon très cher Père...”. The family member to whom he felt closest was gone. She had been a sweet-natured woman, with an inherent joie de vivre and a sense of humour that kept everything on an even keel: fortunately she passed both characteristics on to her son.......

De spitse wisselwerking tussen de beide solisten verhoogt het muzikale genot nog eens aanzienlijk. De opname laat niets te wensen over. Kortom, een bijzonder geslaagde uitgave, duidelijk op weg naar de afronding van een van de twee beste historiserende uitvoeringen van alle vioolsonates van Mozart. www.opusklassiek.nl The keyboard player gets top billing on this outstanding series of Mozart's violin sonatas, and rightly so: in the earliest of the works recorded here, K31 in B flat, the violin part is optional, and even in his later works for this particular pairing of instruments, the piano is the dominant partner. (…) No other team can match Cooper and Podger for their brio, stylishness and sense of discovery in this marvellous music. The Sunday Times/Classical CD of the Week

There was a time when this music was played with a Dresden-china air of delicate sophistication, with musical little fingers raised in the air. How bracing then to find violinist Rachel Podger and fellow Brit Gary Cooper on this fifth volume in their Mozart series throwing caution to the wind with a crockery shattering playfulness and exuberance. The formalised lines of the early B flat Sonata No.16 are gently teased and cajoled throughout the work, while the delightful and enchanting theme and variations that crowns the A major Sonata No.22 ducks and dives convention with gleeful yet exemplarary style. An outstanding disc, impeccably engineered. Classic FM Magazine

Volume five of the complete Mozart piano-violin sonatas, and neither musician seems remotely bored. Podger's violin inflections remain delightfully lively and keenly felt, and Cooper's fortepiano has dancing feet. The upfront recording only increases the sense of two players joined at the hip. The programme mixes early and late; the masterpiece is K305, but hats off too to the exuberance of K31, written when Mozart was 10. The Times

Volume 5 of the complete Mozart piano-violin sonatas, and neither musician seems remotely bored. Podger's violin inflections remain delightfully and keenly felt, and Cooper's fortepiano has dancing feet. The upfront recording only increases the sense of two players joined at the hip. The programme mixes early and late; the masterpiece is K305, but hats of too the exuberance of K31, written when Mozart was 10. Times ****

(…) As always in this estimable series repeats are observed, the playing exhibits a discernible sense of line, and Cooper's sonorous forte-piano is nicely complemented by Podger's clean but never acerbic-sounding period violin. Again the performance is vigorous and stylistically on the ball. Gramophone Rachel Podger and Gary Cooper give characteristically intelligent and insightful performances of all these pieces (…) BBC Music Magazine (sound *****, performance ****) (…)

For me, the outstanding success on this volume is the sonata in A, K 305. Usually recorded as part of the so-called Op. 1 Sonatas published in Paris in 1778, this Sonata is usually overshadowed by the stronger personalities of K301, K 304 and K 306. Heard here as the opening work in a mixed recital, and thanks to Podger's and Cooper's relaxed, fluid style and use of embellishment that grows organically from the music, it seems to soar to new heights. International Record Review

Rachel Podger Rachel Podger is one of the most creative talents to emerge in the field of period performance. Over the last two decades she has established herself as a leading interpreter of the music of the Baroque and Classical periods...

The necessity of travel If a devotee of music somewhere between 1765 and 1780, happened to be doing his best to catch a glimpse of ‘wunderkind’ Mozart at work in his hometown of Salzburg, then he it is likely that he would have knocked in vain at the door of the Archepiscopal Palace. The young composer was probably on the road again. He had been employed (but without pay!) since the age of nine as violinist in the Archbishop’s court orchestra where father Mozart also played; but Mozart spent half of his time travelling, usually accompanied by his father. Leopold Mozart was a man with a mission. He was convinced that the birth of his exceptional son was a miracle that had descended on him, and he saw it as his holy duty to introduce Wolfgang to the world. He pursued this aim with diligence. Right up to the painful moment in 1781 when Mozart moved to Vienna and set up as an independent creative artist, father Leopold remained his impresario, concert manager, and the driving force behind Mozart’s career. For years on end, Mozart travelled constantly throughout Europe, from Pressburg (Bratislava) to Paris, from Naples to London. And Leopold arranged performances for the imperial family in Vienna, the Kings of France and England, and in the palaces of the religious and secular nobility of Europe. Mozart visited France on three occasions. During the great European tour as a little boy of seven and eight, when he visited Paris with his family, he was idolized. Every nobleman’s palace right up to the King of France, opened its doors to him. But when he returned in 1778 with his mother, it was a very different story. Mozart went to France with dreams of settling in Paris as an opera composer. His old friend Gluck and the Italian composer Piccinni ruled the roost, but they stood at the heads of two warring musical factions. And friendly Baron Grimm, “to whom”, according to Leopold in 1764, “we owe everything”, was by no means as forthcoming as he had been fourteen years ago. A 22-year-old Mozart was now only one among the many talented newcomers streaming into Paris. He was no longer the amazing six-year old curiosity, full of musical tricks and spectacular surprises, who had enthralled an audience eager for something new. No; this time Mozart did not really feel welcome in Paris. To make things even worse, Wolfgang’s mother died in Paris on 3 July 1778. In a most moving letter, Mozart informed his father of her death: “Mon très cher Père...”. The family member to whom he felt closest was gone. She had been a sweet-natured woman, with an inherent joie de vivre and a sense of humour that kept everything on an even keel: fortunately she passed both characteristics on to her son.......

Quotes:

De spitse wisselwerking tussen de beide solisten verhoogt het muzikale genot nog eens aanzienlijk. De opname laat niets te wensen over. Kortom, een bijzonder geslaagde uitgave, duidelijk op weg naar de afronding van een van de twee beste historiserende uitvoeringen van alle vioolsonates van Mozart. www.opusklassiek.nl The keyboard player gets top billing on this outstanding series of Mozart's violin sonatas, and rightly so: in the earliest of the works recorded here, K31 in B flat, the violin part is optional, and even in his later works for this particular pairing of instruments, the piano is the dominant partner. (…) No other team can match Cooper and Podger for their brio, stylishness and sense of discovery in this marvellous music. The Sunday Times/Classical CD of the Week

There was a time when this music was played with a Dresden-china air of delicate sophistication, with musical little fingers raised in the air. How bracing then to find violinist Rachel Podger and fellow Brit Gary Cooper on this fifth volume in their Mozart series throwing caution to the wind with a crockery shattering playfulness and exuberance. The formalised lines of the early B flat Sonata No.16 are gently teased and cajoled throughout the work, while the delightful and enchanting theme and variations that crowns the A major Sonata No.22 ducks and dives convention with gleeful yet exemplarary style. An outstanding disc, impeccably engineered. Classic FM Magazine

Volume five of the complete Mozart piano-violin sonatas, and neither musician seems remotely bored. Podger's violin inflections remain delightfully lively and keenly felt, and Cooper's fortepiano has dancing feet. The upfront recording only increases the sense of two players joined at the hip. The programme mixes early and late; the masterpiece is K305, but hats off too to the exuberance of K31, written when Mozart was 10. The Times

Volume 5 of the complete Mozart piano-violin sonatas, and neither musician seems remotely bored. Podger's violin inflections remain delightfully and keenly felt, and Cooper's fortepiano has dancing feet. The upfront recording only increases the sense of two players joined at the hip. The programme mixes early and late; the masterpiece is K305, but hats of too the exuberance of K31, written when Mozart was 10. Times ****

(…) As always in this estimable series repeats are observed, the playing exhibits a discernible sense of line, and Cooper's sonorous forte-piano is nicely complemented by Podger's clean but never acerbic-sounding period violin. Again the performance is vigorous and stylistically on the ball. Gramophone Rachel Podger and Gary Cooper give characteristically intelligent and insightful performances of all these pieces (…) BBC Music Magazine (sound *****, performance ****) (…)

For me, the outstanding success on this volume is the sonata in A, K 305. Usually recorded as part of the so-called Op. 1 Sonatas published in Paris in 1778, this Sonata is usually overshadowed by the stronger personalities of K301, K 304 and K 306. Heard here as the opening work in a mixed recital, and thanks to Podger's and Cooper's relaxed, fluid style and use of embellishment that grows organically from the music, it seems to soar to new heights. International Record Review